Layla‘s brother-in-law Andrew had an emergency at work and asked if she could drop little Macs off at the nursery. She said it was no problem, after all helping her sister and brother-in-law is what she did. All the way to work however she gets an emergency call about blueprints that her architect partner Robert needs to give a presentation for a huge client and she goes into emergency mode. Three hours later when she gets a call from Andrew asking “where is Max?“ Layla is now panicking and although she doesn’t want to go see she knows she must and this is when she finds a little Max in the backseat of her car, dead. Layla and her husband will are separated but when she gets immediately arrested for the murder of her nephew she is relieved when he is there to comfort her. Her sister now Big Sur but her brother-in-law is strangely on her side. There is so much to this book and if I say more it will be a spoiler and OMG what a twist they have in this book. There is no way anyone can see this coming I know I didn’t if you love books that leave you Godsmack and screaming OMG… You need to read “next of Ken“ this is the reason the genre thriller was created it is so freaking good! I mean wow what a book! I received this book from NetGalley and publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review .

I was eager to read Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah because of the premise and because I read her first book, Take It Back. In both books the author shows that she is not afraid to tackle hard topics with a realistic but delicate touch.

The story centers on Leila, who accidentally and tragically leaves her young nephew in a hot car as she goes in to work for the day, and her sister Yasmin, the child's mother. Leila and Yasmin already have a complicated relationship, since their parents died when they were young and Leila raised Yasmin as her guardian for seven years. Add the unimaginable strain of being responsible for her sister's child's death, and you have the makings of a gripping story. The sisters' husbands play a big part in the story too, as Leila and Will have just separated, and the four adults have an intriguing dynamic.

A big part of the book plays out in the courtroom as Leila is tried for manslaughter. But even after the trial ends, there is a lot more to the story. This was part family drama and part legal thriller, but the whole story was riveting and written beautifully. I felt connected to each major character and invested in their story. The plot is grueling and tragic, yet I couldn't wait to find out what happened to each sister. It was like looking at the aftermath of a train wreck and being extremely grateful to be on the outside of the misery.

I will admit I did not see those particular twists coming, and I love to be surprised. This book was outstanding, and I can't wait to recommend it to readers who enjoy legal thrillers with family drama.

Thank you to Harper 360 and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Fast-paced, tense, and utterly gripping. A recommended purchase for collections where legal thrillers are popular.

I requested this book after reading other reviews and because I loved Kia Abdullah’s book, Take It Back.

I started Next of Kin late at night and finished it the next morning- I couldn’t put it down. Fair warning: the opening chapters are truly distressing and difficult to read and digest.

Leila is about to head out the door for work when she receives a call from her brother-in-law, Andrew asking if there’s any way she could drop off his three year old son to his nursery. Andrew has never asked this of her, but he has an urgent situation at work he needs to tend to. Leila is also rushing that morning, but she agrees to come get Max.

After retrieving Max, she begins her drive. Leila takes a phone call from her assistant who is panicked looking for blueprints for an important meeting, Leila becomes distracted with problem solving this matter and pulls into her parking space at work. Leila doesn’t even remember she has a sleeping Max in her backseat and goes about her day. It’s only hours later, when Andrew contacts her asking why she didn’t drop off Max at his nursery that the dread sinks in…she never dropped him off and he’s been in her car for hours on a very hot day. Leila goes outside to her car, knowing what she will find. This tragedy results in manslaughter charges against Leila, even if it was a terrible accident.

Part one and two follow what happened and then the trial, but the author saves some unbelievable revelations for part three. This story was heartbreaking, but it unfolded with such intensity that I couldn’t stop reading. This author does such a fantastic job of handling sensitive subjects and nightmare situations. I look forward to reading more from Kia Abdullah.

Thank you Netgalley and HQ for my copy of Next of Kin. This one just came out- 9/20/22.

Having read one of Kia Abdullah's books I couldn't wait to dive in to this one. It sure didn't disappoint as I raced through it in one day to find out what happened! Well written, delicately and sensitively told, with an ending that is a punch to the gut. All absorbing read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for this ARC!

I was excited about this book because 1) I loved her book Take It Back and 2) I have never read a book with this premise before. However, I was disappointed. It was soooo slow. The first 90% dragged but then BOOM there were like four twists in the last few chapters. Unfortunately that didn't make up for the rest of the book. It was also very sad and depressing!

An excellent, powerfully emotional legal thriller ! Looking forward to reading the next one by Kia Abdullah.. A solid 5 stars

Wow! Fantastic read by Kia Abdullah! As I read this heartbreaking story that we all heard at one time or another on our evenings news, I tried to relate to everyone's feelings. Tried to comprehend how someone could have done this, and actually feeling sympathy for all involved. Then BAM, the story took a twist that I never seen coming.. And it didn't stop there.. This was a page turner for sure. Not my first book by this author and without a doubt won't be my last.

Holy moly! My mind has been blown! 🤯

Leila Syed is getting ready for work one morning when she receives a frantic phone call from her brother-in-law Andrew. There is an emergency at his work and he was hoping she could bring her 3 year old nephew, Max, to nursery for him since it's nearby her work anyhow. Leila is happy to do it and agrees without another thought. Andrew and her sister Yasmine live right around the corner from her so she gathers Max as quickly as she can.

On the way to the nursery school she receives a work call. An emergency. Blueprints are missing that her partner needs desperately in order to attend a meeting in which they hope to score their biggest client yet. The only other set of prints is in her locked office so she flies to the office so her partner doesn't miss this incredibly important meeting.

Around noontime Leila receives another frantic phone call from Andrew. Max never made it to school. The shock hits Leila like a punch to the face and she races to her car in the parking lot where the inevitable happened on the hottest day in London.

I was hooked from the very first page. The opening scenes were downright horrifying. A thought you hate to even consider and your first reaction is how does a person just forget a child in a vehicle but we see it on the news often enough to know that it does indeed happen. Kia Abdullah then takes us through the trial - is Leila guilty of manslaughter having intentionally left her nephew in the vehicle or was it an honest to god mistake in which she simply forgot. He was sleeping after all.

So much to consider, so much to think about. I thought Abdullah did an outstanding job in creating these characters and my like and dislike for each of them ebbed and flowed like the sea on a stormy day. I was so conflicted, so enthralled, so heartbroken for their loss.

Abdullah also educated me on a disease I was completely unfamiliar with. Epidermolysis bullosa. Having never heard of it before I decided to hit up my friend Google for more information and I almost wish I hadn't. I almost wish I could unsee what I saw and unknow what I read. What an absolutely awful condition a baby must suffer. The world is horrible enough, if there is a higher power out there, then why must you make people suffer so cruelly. 😢💔

As you near the end, reveals are made and let me tell you I didn't see any of them coming. Absolutely jaw dropping. A round of applause to Abdullah! 👏👏👏 I can't wait to get my hands on her next book. ALL THE STARS!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for my complimentary copy.

After blowing me away with “Take It Back”, I wasn’t sure that anything could top it. However, Abdullah returns with a riveting thriller with high stakes courtroom drama about what it truly means to be family. This book felt unputdownable and the pace moved at a breakneck speed despite there being a lot of courtroom scenes which could get monotonous. She weaves her signature shocking plot twists throughout the story that kept me on my toes waiting for the next reveal. I absolutely love and will recommend this thriller! 5 stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 HQ for gifting me a digital ARC of the new legal thriller by Kia Abdullah - 5 amazing stars!

An almost ordinary day, Leila is getting ready to leave for her job in her architecture firm when she receives a call from her brother-in-law asking her to take Max, her 3-year-old nephew, to day care because he has a work emergency. She agrees and heads over to her sister's house nearby. Andrew straps Max into the rear-facing carseat in the back and Leila heads to the daycare. But then she gets a call from her assistant with a work emergency that only she can handle and she heads there without thinking. Hours later, Andrew calls Leila because he got a call that Max never showed up to daycare. In the hot sun, the worst thing happened to Max. When Leila is charged with manslaughter, the trial threatens to further destroy both families. Leila has always been the responsible one and taken care of her sister, Yasmine, when their parents died. She's helped her in every way, struggling in silent over her own issues. With her family, marriage, and freedom on the line, Leila is devastated.

My heart is still pounding hours after I finished this book! This is another amazing legal thriller from this author that you must read. And those twists - wow. This is an absolute must read with lots to think about as well. It's devastating because these accidents can happen all too easily and too frequently. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!

Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5

The death of a child is always hard to read, especially when it's a 3 year old left in a car on the hottest day of the year. The book is well-written and the concept is intriguing. There were a lot of twists at the end that I didn't see coming. For me though, I didn’t like any of the characters and the trial was a bit of a slow burn. And the ending, even though it was a big surprise reveal, it felt like the story was incomplete.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper 360 and Kia Abdullah for a copy of "Next of Kin" in exchange of an honest review.

Kia Abdullah has done a brilliant job of writing a tense, enthralling thriller. However, the twists and even more twists at the end go to an irritating point.

This book has me struggling with how to rate it. Five stars for the excellent writing and three stars for including not one but several turns too far at the end. Four stars overall.

As noted by other reviewers this book does deal with the very difficult topic of child death.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is a book that manages to be both heartbreaking and horrifying, while still being very readable.

I was all in on our main character, shocked by what happened...and even more shocked by the way everything ended.

My first book from the author and it was a wonderfully twisty surprise!

*ARC via Net Galley

We have all heard and read the stories in the news. The terrible tragedies that occur when a child is accidentally left in a hot car for far too long and dies. As a parent, I cannot fathom the grief those other parents go through; especially when they are then put on trial for their children’s death.

<i>Next of Kin</i> takes this tragedy to another level - it was 3 year old Max's aunt who left him in the car for 3 hours accidentally, causing his death. A series of unfortunate and ill-timed events now have Leila standing trial for manslaughter while her sister, Yasmin and her husband Andrew suffer the loss of their second child.

This novel delves deeply not only into Leila’s trial but also the family dynamics of Leila, her estranged husband Will, and Yasmin and Andrew. Leila won guardianship of Yasmin when she was 18 (Yasmin 11) and worked hard to make sure her little sister had a stable home life. As an adult, Leila thrived as a business owner, though in other areas of life, lacked personally. Andrew, Will and Yasmin are all well-developed characters and though you don’t see much until Part III, it’s there that the family really showed through.

<i>Next of Kin</i> was dramatic (but not overtly done) and could have stood alone without the pesky detective and his sections and theories. The author expressed the guilt and torture felt by both parents and family members regarding the death of children (TW for child death as well as children with disabilities that lead to death). Navigating this subject is tricky territory and I feel the author did so with sensitivity and taste.

Next of Kin is not for the faint of heart, it's not a comfortable read nor a feel good story -- You have been warned!
Leila is a busy and successful architect. All that is missing from her life is a child, but she and her now estranged husband are unable to conceive. She lives vicariously through her younger sister Yasmin's child. The sisters' mother took her own life when they were children and Leila has looked out for "Yasmin ever since. She drops everything when Yasmin's husband calls and requests that she bring their child to daycare. What happened next will blow your mind!
If you like insane twists with uncomfortable drama and legal and police procedurals thrown in, Next of Kin is for you!
#Harper360 #NextofKin #KiaAbdullah

Leila who loses her mom at the age of 18 takes on the task of raising her 11-year-old sister she will let nothing get in her way. Life moves forward for both, and Leila now finds herself quite successful. She is still very close with her sister and there is nothing she won't do. So, on a given morning her brother-in-law calls and ask Leila to please take Max to school she thinks nothing of it. After picking up Max she is faced with a work crisis and her mind is focused on solving this situation as she is always good at solving problems. Leila gets to work and solves the crisis, and everything is going well until she gets a call from her brother-in-law that the school has called and mention that Max is not at school and suddenly, she realizes that she has committed a terrible act. The majority of this story is the trial that takes place as a result of this accident or was it really an accident? This is definitely a page turner; you cannot read the pages fast enough to see what happens next with the story building up to ending you do not see coming. Gives this a read and you will not be disappointed. Be warned there are some triggers in this book concerning a young child's death.

Next of Kin
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Thriller
Format: Physical Book
Date Published: 9/20/22
Author: Kia Abdullah
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 384
GR: 4.30

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and HarperCollins and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: ON AN ORDINARY WORKING DAY… Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. His son’s nursery has called to ask where little Max is. YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE… Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot. Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE. What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye…

My Thoughts: Just wow. This was intense, tense, gripping, distressing, and tragic, all of the elements of a brilliant thriller. Just a warning, there is a child perceived death, but I believe it was done with such grace and sensitivity, I was able to read it. The twists were unpredictable, which was refreshing as most of the time I can guess the twists. Then the ending was fireworks explosive! The story is broken down into three parts, the event, the trial, and then after. I left the synopsis as vague as possible as it is better to go into this blind. The characters are well developed, with multifaceted depth, tension, deceitful, and not very likable, written by design. The author’s writing was complex, suspenseful, twisty, intriguing, and kept me engaged the entire book. This would make an excellent book for a book club discussion. This is the most gripping, riveting legal thriller that I have read in awhile and I have read a lot of thrillers this year. I cannot recommend this enough, it releases tomorrow!

Oh this was a very intense read of sibling rivalry, jealously and resentment. It was a thrill ride from beginning to end and the author did a phenomenal job at keeping me hooked into the story.

This book was interesting and very well-written. I would likely want to read more from this author and will recommend this to friends.